Today is the Day

[Tracy]

My visit

My visit

Well, the tubes and everything didn't bother me, but it sure did a number on my sister, Beth. She almost passed out a few times during our first visit, last night at 8:30. My mom was very yellow. I knew she wouldn't look good, but I wasn't expecting yellow!

Today when we visited, she looked much better! She had her normal coloring back. Still a lot of tubes, but she will be out of the ICU sometime late tonight, or tomorrow morning. She was asking about all of you. I will try to print out the pages of all the posts so that she can have them.

She is looking forward to coming home and sitting here doing all the typing.

-Brandy

By the way...."uneventful" is a very very wonderful word!!!

And, Billy, she bought a cordless curling iron before she went into the hospital, that way she could at least do her hair while she was in bed. She's so cute...hehehe

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Hi Brandy,

Thank you for posting the update. That's wonderful news! Wishing your Mom a very speedy recovery.

Looking forward to having you back with us at VR.com very soon Tracy!

Take care....

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Golly Moses Tracy, Brandy & Beth!

Golly Moses Tracy, Brandy & Beth!

If we get anymore good news from y'all we won't be able to stand it...

Now Brandy -- just after you tell your Mom we're still here praying and thinking about her -- would you do me a favor?

Would you ask her if I could borrow her brand new curling iron so's I could fix this whisp of hair on the top of my head...

 

[terry40]

Brandy RE: Tracy

Brandy RE: Tracy

It's so sweet of you to keep us updated, her color will come back and she'll loose the tubes and wires in time.

Uneventful is a great word!

You and your sister might have to help mom with her hair and the curling iron, at least for a little while.

Take care,

Terry40

 

[Ross]

Thank You Brandy

I'll bet ten to one that the curling iron never gets used!

Don't be shocked if mom has some crying spells soon, it's part of the package. Just thought you should know.

 

[pegne]

Brandy

Brandy

Tell Beth not to feel bad. At least one in my family got sick after each of my 4 heart surgeries. I saw my brother in law after his bypass and for once I was on the spectator side. It is not a pretty sight. Glad all is going well. Give yor mother my best. Peggy

 

[Guest]

Glad to hear the super news about your mom, Brandy!
Thanks for keeping us in "the loop" in regards to her progress!
We'll be glad when we all hear from her personally.

Now, Tracy, remember our gentle post-op reminder around here:
BREATHE, BREATHE, BREATHE, WALK, WALK, WALK, NAP, NAP, NAP!!

Julia

 

[medtronic of borg]

Go Girl

Go Girl

Best of luck!

 

[Tracy]

Another day....

Another day....

Well, when I went to visit her the day of her surgery they said that she would be in her own room and out of the ICU in about 24 hours. Then they told me, that she would be in her room late tonight, or early tomorrow. I just got back from the hospital, they now do not know when she will be out of the ICU.

She is on a medicine to keep her blood pressure down. She must be off of that completely before she can get a room with a view. When I left her this afternoon, she was at .2498, which is baredly anything. And her blood pressure was 90/something. The nurse said she should be weened off of it in no time. This evening when I went in her BP was 132/something, and I looked at her dosage and it was up to .52something. I asked the nurse if it was increased or if I just didn't remember it correctly. She told me that I had, but they needed to increase the dosage.

I'm not sure if she is on her blood thiners yet. When she goes on that, will her blood pressure decrease? I'm just praying that it will go down so that she can get out of the ICU. I will be checking on her progress with her blood pressure throughout the day tomorrow. I will try to keep you all posted.

 

[Ross]

I think she's just heavily medicated and it's going to take a little bit for her body to "Wake up". The blood thinners won't affect her pressure so don't worry. Give her a little more time. She's been through a major battle.

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Hi Brandy,

Are you certain they told you her blood pressure was high? Those numbers look acceptable. 90/ being a bit low. I run low myself consistently.

I am sure they have her on a Heparin drip (which is the blood thinner). They will soon add her Coumadin. She will come off the Heparin when her Coumadin levels are theraputic and continue to take it everyday. Theraputic levels usually need to occur before she can go home. I was ready physically to be discharged.....but had to wait it out until my blood thinner had kicked in. It may take her doctors awhile to figure out her dosing with the Coumadin. The most important thing to remember after discharge is to get her levels checked very frequently. There are some great sites if you do a search here on Coumadin. Starting with the manufacture recomendations.
www.coumadin.com

On her CICU stay....48 hours is not unusual.

Keep us posted.

 

[ShezaGirlie]

Brandy....

Brandy....

Oh yes, all those drugs... Takes a while to get them out of the system. And why rush getting out of ICU cause the best nurses are in there to take care of your Mom 24/7.

And the ol' blood pressure see-saw happens to the best of us. They'll get her regulated soon. I haven't heard of a blood thinner affecting blood pressure...

She'll most likely become a real 'dream machine' when she starts really coming to... When I closed my eyes I saw neon orange blood going thru the capillaries on the insides of my eyelids. Just so weird what all those drugs do to a person's physical and mental system for a while.

Right now, she just needs a lot of rest. All the best to you girls.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Tracy-

I'm a little confused regarding the blood pressure problem. You said that it had been 90/something at .24, and then they increased the dose and it went to 132/something.

It sounds as if they are trying to bring her pressure up to a more normal range. 90 systolic is in the lower range. 120 to the 130s systolic is in the normal range and anything consistently over 140 is high.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

It would make sense this way because the surgery, anesthesia and pain meds can make the bloodpressure go down and they don't want patients to have a pressure too low.

I know that after an abdominal surgery, Joe's bloodpressure was in the 80s and the doctors were worried about that.

At any rate it sounds as if they are working on the pressure problem and I'm sure it will get regulated soon.

Coumadin does not affect the bloodpressure, however, if her pressure is too low, they will probably wait until it stabilizes to start Coumadin.

My best wishes to your mom.

 

[Tracy]

Thanks for everyone's imput on my mom's situation. I really don't know what they are trying to do in ICU, but I'm not going to question, they know what they are doing.

It is true, why rush out of ICU!!! hey..that rhymed..hehehe
I need sleep...so I'm going to go for the night

thanks again all!
Brandy

 

[Tracy]

Only a few more hours....

Only a few more hours....

Great news!

She is now weened off of the blood pressure medicine, and will be in her own room very soon. She looked very good tonight when I visited. She was sitting up on her own in her bed and was talking a lot. She asked for a hairbrush and her curling iron...hehe

~Brandy

 

[pillarpaul]

A woman in the hospital asks for her curling iron and brush. Why does that not surprise me? That is a GOOD sign. Thanks for updating us, Brandy. Tip o' the hat to you and your mom.

Paul

 

[Ross]

Darn it, I'm wrong again! I thought sure she wouldn't care about that curling iron.

 

[Billy]

Won't be long now...

Won't be long now...

Hey Brandy.......won't be long now till you'll need the 'cosmetics.'

That is a real good signal that Tracy is coming along just fine...Super News this Saturday morning and the best St. Patrick's Day present I could have hoped for.

When I checked this thread this morning there were 36 replies and 406 views so you can tell your Mom how many members are checking on her progress and wishing her a speedy recovery.

Thanks again for the updates and blessings to all of you.

 

[hensylee]

Mornin, Brandy - I know you are pleased at the good news that mom is in her own room - but that won't last too long. She will soon be in her own home in her own bed. But while she's in the hospital, they are about to make her walk and do small exercises just to get her started on her own. She will be a busy girl from now on. My best wishes and prayers to her.

Mornin Tracy. Happy to know you are sleeping in a room without lights on all the time and that somebody's not hangin over you 24/7. Sounds like you are on the way. Welcome to the good side. Love - Ann (Hensylee)

 

[ccrawford]

Way to go Gal

Way to go Gal

Hey Brandy-Tell Mom concratulations-she's doing great and we are all proud of her. keep up those breathing excercises and lots of walking ! Chris